The 8 Most Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

In the last ten years, motorcycle accidents have been on the rise. Despite an increase in safety features and awareness, being a rider still has inherent dangers that are hard to avoid. But did you know the most common causes of motorcycle accidents?

Once you are aware of them, you can try to avoid mistakes that may result in collisions. Read on as we discuss the main causes of motorcycle accidents. 

1) Cars Making Left-Hand Turns

Cars making left hands turns are the most common causes of motorcycle accidents. Very often, these can be fatal. They are most likely to occur at an intersection.

The reasons for this are plentiful. Driver distraction, low visibility, drivers not checking the blind spot along, and speeding all contribute. 

Usually, the fault lies with the person turning. Anyone turning left must give way to oncoming traffic and when they cause an accident, this has not been done. This would only be void if the other person was speeding or driving under the influence. 

2) Unsafe Lane Changes

A motorcycle is an extremely quick and agile machine. Even as a conscientious driver, this can be easy to forget when you are zipping through traffic and along highways. Unfortunately, car drivers will forget this more often. 

Bikes are also smaller and fit better into the blind spot of a car. This makes them easy to pull out on when changing lanes, even if the driver thinks the coast is clear. 

Motorcycle accident prevention can be improved if you always assume that people can not see you. Cutting down on splitting lanes and moving between small spaces, especially at speed, can also help. 

3) Front End Collisions

A front-end crash occurs when one vehicle brakes and the motorcycle goes into the back of it, causing a collision at its front. Even with the exceptional braking power of modern bikes, there is only so much they can do when traveling at speed. If the person in front makes a sudden stop and you go into them, you are liable. 

The reason for this is that you should always leave enough stopping distance. This is relative to your speed, but ideally, it should be two and a half cars’ lengths. When you don’t follow this, you could find yourself colliding with the back of a car and becoming unseated. 

4) Rear-End Collisions

Rear-end collisions are the opposite. These are when you stop your motorcycle and the driver behind crashes into the back of you. As motorcycles have much quicker braking and speed changes due to downshifting, this ends up being a common occurrence. 

As a motorcyclist, when it happens it is seldom your fault. The person behind should have left ample braking distance. All bikers can do is signal and hope the car behind them will slow down. 

Unfortunately, without bumpers and the safety features of a car, even minor collisions can injure a rider quite severely. Back and neck problems are common and you may find yourself knocked off the vehicle. It is important to get a motorcycle accident lawyer as many injuries may develop after the actual accident itself. 

5) Head-On Collisions

Head-on collisions are the most dangerous type of accident for anyone on the road. They happen when people coming in the opposite direction overtake or change lanes, without checking oncoming traffic. If someone is coming the other way, the results can be terrible. 

As both cars are heading toward each other, the force often results in more damage and injuries. Should someone decide to try one of these unsanctioned, dangerous moves there is very little you can do. 

6) Intersection and T-Bone Collisions

A T-bone collision is when a vehicle goes into the side of a motorcycle, creating a T-bone shape. These accidents most commonly occur at intersections, when people fail to obey light signals or stop signs. An inability to see oncoming motorcycles is also a factor. 

As the traffic that is not pulling out is often traveling at speed, these incidents can be very serious. All you can do as a motorcycle driver to avoid them is stay aware and make yourself as visible as possible. 

7) Fixed Object Collisions 

Not all collisions are caused by other drivers. Motorcycle accident prevention starts and ends with you. When riders don’t follow safety guidelines, they can often find themselves in fixed object collisions. 

Fixed object collisions are when a rider hits an object that occupies a static position, such as fences, posts, and parked vehicles. Most of these accidents occur in adverse weather when riders slip off the road. This could be in rain, snow, or even in heat if they don’t have the correct tires. 

8) Speeding

This is another area where you as a rider are responsible. No one ever takes up riding a motorcycle for the safety aspects. Riding is about the speed and power at your control. 

Unfortunately, that means it is easy to get carried away. High speeds should be saved for the right time and place, ideally on closed courses or long empty highways. 

Using high speeds in cities and towns leads to a lot of problems. Other road users and pedestrians don’t have time to see you or react. That is also true of the person driving the bike. 

Get a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Now you know the causes of motorcycle accidents you can begin to raise your awareness. While you can never account for the behavior of other road users, you can keep in mind what they may do. You can also reassess your own driving practices. 

If you need a motorcycle accident lawyer, then we are here. Alpha Accident Lawyers should be your first stop when you have been involved in a collision. Contact us here to discuss your needs.